Warming Up
by My2BrownEyes
Summary: Set during the winter between seasons 2 & 3, Daryl & Rick go after a rabbit. When Daryl falls into a not-so-frozen lake, Rick has to warm him up. Slash! Rick/Daryl


**A/N:** This is my first Walking Dead fic. I hope I got these guys right. Please let me know if I didn't.

**Disclaimer:** I do now own nor am profiting from the Walking Dead. I just love it

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"I'm goin' huntin'," Daryl tells the former Sheriff.

"Want some company?" Rick could use a break. He's tired of the accusing looks Lori's been giving him. He didn't want to kill Shane, but he didn't have much of a choice. Would he have done it without his wife's encouragement? Probably, though it helped to know she wanted him to do it. But now that it's done, she sure as hell seems to think he was wrong.

Normally, Daryl would say no. But he can tell Rick needs some time away. "Sure. Why not."

They tell Glen they're heading out and trudge into the snow-covered woods.

Daryl doesn't even begin trying to track anything until they're out of sight of their current camp. He can hear and feel the other man trailing along behind him. Rick doesn't say anything, and he's grateful for that. Most of their little band would be yapping right about now, but not Rick.

The hunter stops suddenly. Rick doesn't stop until he catches up to the blond. He waits, knowing Daryl will tell him whatever he needs to know whenever he needs to know it. He prefers the silence anyway and the chance to focus on something else for a change.

"Rabbit."

Rick nods once.

Daryl lifts his crossbow and begins following the tracks. Rick follows, scanning the area around them for any sign of walkers. He doesn't tell the hunter he's doing this. He doesn't have to. He can tell by Daryl's focus that it's known, expected.

They move forward, following the almost invisible trail.

There's a movement off to the right that catches Rick's eye. "Right back," he whispers before going to investigate.

Daryl stops. He watches the Sheriff move away, hears the walker just before it comes into view, and notes the efficiency with which Rick disposes of it. He continues as soon as he sees the leader heading back.

"Nice work." The compliment is soft. Daryl doesn't want to scare off their prey or alert any more walkers.

"Thanks. Felt good," Rick admits.

Daryl smiles, his blue eyes twinkling in the morning light. "Glad you're enjoyin' _somethin'_."

"That obvious?"

"Only if ya got eyes." They go quiet for a while.

Rick watches the hunter in front of him, notes again the strong frame and toned muscles. He admires the man's skill and focus…and quiet. He turns his eyes back to the woods around them.

They walk on.

"Lake," Daryl says suddenly.

Rick looks forward. Yep. There is definitely a lake in front of them. It appears frozen over, but it can be hard to tell with lakes. "Rabbit cross?"

"Yep."

"Well, it was a valiant effort."

Daryl turns around and gives Rick a look of disbelief. "Valiant effort? I'm still going after that sucker. We're having rabbit for dinner."

"I appreciate the desire," Rick begins, "but I'm not sure it's wise to try and cross that."

The hunter taps the ice with his foot. "Seems solid enough."

"Seems is not so, Daryl. I'd rather not lose you to the ice."

Daryl huffs out a laugh. "Yeah, 'cause then who'd get y'all your dinner?"

"It ain't like that, and you know it. But, yes, you are an invaluable member of this group. And the possibility of a rabbit is not worth losing you."

"Sweet," he replies before stepping out onto the lake.

"Damn it, Daryl," Rick spits under his breath. But the hunter is already several yards out. He hears the crack a moment before Daryl disappears. His heart stops. The world stops. And then he's sprinting to the hole.

Sliding forward, he plunges his hands into the icy water. "Daryl!" He sees the hunter come up, the crossbow held high over the blond head. He grabs the man's arms and pulls him up.

Daryl is sputtering, shivering from the cold. Rick leads him back to the shore and immediately starts pushing and pulling the wet clothes off of him.

"What the hell?" the hunter exclaims through chattering teeth.

"We have ta get these wet clothes off you before you freeze to death."

The hunter knows Rick's right, but it doesn't make him any more comfortable with it. Still, he stops struggling and begins to help shed his clothes. The next thing he knows, he's completely naked and being help by the Sheriff.

Rick is holding the wet man against him, rubbing his hands and arms over the shivering body, trying to warm it up through pure friction.

"Do ya have ta do that?" His voice is higher than normal, almost panicked.

"Yes, Daryl, I do. If we don't get ya warmed up, you could catch pneumonia or somethin' just as bad. I told you we can't lose you." The hunter moves slightly, and Rick feels a hardness he didn't expect. It stuns him enough to stop for a moment, but then he begins rubbing the arms and back of the man in his arms. His head is on the hunter's shoulder, and it makes this almost easier because he can't look at the man. "It's all right, Daryl. Ya don't have to be embarrassed."

"I ain't embarrassed," the hunter insists while trying to push the Sheriff away. He's shivering too badly to get free. "It's just been awhile since anyone's touched me, is all."

"I thought you and Carol…" Rick lets the implication hang in the air.

"We started foolin' around a few times, but it was like kissin' my sister."

Rick laughs at that. "Sorry. It's just…Nevermind. I'm sorry it hasn't worked out. Truth of the matter is, it's been a while since I've been touched, too." He pulls Daryl closer against him, feels the man's erection against his thigh. He feels his own body beginning to react.

"Guess you 'n' Lori really ain't gettin' along."

That pulls the Sheriff away from thinking about his own body. "That's the understatement of the year."

"She still mad about Shane?"

"Yep."

"She's stupid," he says before being able to stop himself. "Sorry. I know she's your wife 'n' all." He stays silent for a moment. "If ya stop, it'll go down."

"And if I don't?"

"Well, it ain't enough ta get me off. So I'll just be awfully frustrated."

Rick begins to slow down his movements but doesn't stop them. "You warmin' up at all?"

"Hard to tell."

The Sheriff holds him tighter, his arms and hands continuing to move over the hard muscles of the hunter's back. "You do what you gotta do ta warm up."

Daryl tenses. "What are you sayin'?"

Rick shifts so that his pelvis is pressed against the hunter, allowing his own erection to be felt by the man in his arms. "I'm sayin' I'm here for you. I'm sayin' I could use some warmin' up myself."

"I ain't commin' onto you," the hunter insists. "This ain't…"

"This ain't nothin' but us trying to warm you up." He shifts so that they each have one leg between their thighs and begins moving his hips. "Will you let me do this for you?"

Daryl's breath is getting heavier. "Seems ta be workin'," he notes.

"Good," he says just before burying his nose in the hunter's neck. He feels the strong hands move away from his chest and wrap around his back. His own breath is beginning to match his companion's. He begins to slowly lower the naked man to the ground until his body is covering the hunter.

"I ain't gonna last long," Daryl warns between heavy breaths. "Been too long."

"That's all right. You last as long as you can." He continues to thrust gently. Rick has missed this, has missed being a comfort to someone, has missed the touch of another human being who wants nothing but to be loved.

A moan escapes Daryl's lips. "Damn. Damn," he says as he begins to thrust up against the Sheriff. "I'm gonna get yer pants dirty."

Rick makes an effort not to laugh at the surprising practicality of the statement. He quickly unfastens his trousers and pushes them down a bit before resuming his movements. "There. No need to worry 'bout my pants now." He feels Daryl begin to move more forcefully beneath him. "You gettin' warm?"

"Fuck yes." He closes his eyes, trying to hold out just a bit longer. It feels so good. He had forgotten how good it feels to have someone else touch him. He almost doesn't care that this someone is a man, one of the few men in his entire life that he admires and respects. "Fuck. Damn. Fuck."

"You sure do cuss a lot," Rick notes in a strained voice.

"Fuck yeah, I do. But you knew that already." He tightens his hold on the Sheriff and begins rutting up faster. "Fuck…me…" His orgasm spasms over and through his body. When he speaks again, he sounds almost angry. "I told you I weren't gonna last long."

The Sheriff stops. "I ain't complainin'. But do ya mind if I finish?"

Daryl looks up into the worn face, the face of a man trying so hard to keep the group alive. He shakes his head. "Least I can do."

Rick nods then begins to thrust down again. He rests his forehead on the ground, his cheek resting against the man beside him, eyes closed and mouth open. He comes with a heavy groan and collapses.

"Guess I should thank you…for savin' me and all." Daryl is trying not to enjoy the weight and warmth of Rick's body against his.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah."

Rick slowly lifts himself off the hunter. He pulls up his pants and checks Daryl's clothes. They're still damp. "You'll have ta wear the pants, but you can borrow my jacket till your clothes 're dry."

Daryl puts on the pants. Doing so sends a shiver up his body, and he has to stop himself from pulling the Sheriff back against him. He takes the offered jacket and puts it on. "At least this gives me a good reason to smell like you."

"Ya think someone would notice that?"

He shrugs. "Dunno. Think Lori will smell me on you?"

"I'm not sure she'd notice. Not sure I'd care if she did." He runs a hand through his dark hair. "When the hell did I become such a bad husband."

"You ain't a bad husband, Rick. Ya just…Ya got a lot on yer plate right now."

Rick looks at the hunter. "Well it was nice to get away…even if it didn't end the way I was expecting. I'm still grateful."

"Don't mean nothin'," Daryl insists.

"Course not."

The two men look at each other for a moment. Neither man dares to voice whatever is in his head.

"Come on," Rick finally says. "Let's get you back to camp. Get you out of those…" He stops himself, swallows. "Get you into somethin' warmer. We'll have rabbit another night."

They slowly walk back to the camp. The silence isn't quite as comfortable as it had been, but it's still welcome. And it grows more comfortable as they go on. Halfway back, Rick purposely and playfully bumps into Daryl. The hunter quickly turns to him and returns the smile he finds there.

By the time they get back to the others, there is no trace of the intimacy they found at the lake. Rick tells them what happened in very general terms. Carol takes Daryl away and into dry clothes. Rick goes back to the cold silence he shares with Lori.

Neither man speaks openly about their time by the lake. But every so often Rick will ask Daryl if he's warm enough. The hunter smiles mischievously and says he could be warmer. That's usually when Lori or Carl or Carol or one of the others comes and breaks the spell. But that time by the lake is their's, and they keep it safely locked away from everyone else.

And in those moments when life gets to be too hard, when the struggle to survive begins to overwhelm them, sometimes they pull it out without the other knowing and let the memory warm them.


End file.
